Tag Archives: New York Jets

Yet another week of miserable news in the world (really Israel? Bombing a school full of sleeping children? Thank God for a 72-hour ceasefire announced Thursday night), but here at Wide World of Stuff we press on with Good News Friday, designed to make you smile. Speaking of making you smile, there’s a still-obscure New York Jets offensive lineman named Oday Aboushi who, in the offseason, literally helped kids smile. Aboushi was part of a five-day surgical mission by the Islamic Medical Association of North America in early March to repair cleft lips in the African country of Sudan. IMANA Medical Relief’s volunteer SaveSmile team of doctors and nurses operated on infants as young as a few months old to young adults in their early 20s. Aboushi actually assisted with giving patients IV’s before surgery. “You’re bringing them into the operating room and then a few minutes later, you’re bringing them out and they look like a totally different person,” Aboushi said. “Their parents are in tears, they’re so grateful.” If he never plays a down for my beloved Jets this season, Aboushi’s already had a fantastic year. Animals are one of the few things that bring pretty much all people together. Loyal blog reader Sanford pointed me to this video from Animals Australia that shows heroic rescues from around the world. Really, really awesome stuff. **Finally today, this was pointed to me by the fine folks at Upworthy.com, and even though it’s a clip from the Dr. Phil show, it’s worth watching anyway. It’s about a fairly new app called ASPIRE News, and it’s used to help women who are the victims of abuse and domestic violence. It’s fairly ingenious and if it saves one woman from the pain of being attacked, it’s well worth it. Check it out above.

My moment of triumph arrived at around 10:45 a.m. Saturday, and I didn’t want to blow it.
For the past hour and 15 minutes, I had alternately sprinted, jogged, and for a brief minute, walked during the Run for the Warriors 10k in Lindenhurst, on Long Island.
My first 10k ever was a whole lot of fun. The course, through the town of Lindenhurst, was pretty except for the part where we ran on Sunrise Highway, a major road that was closed for us but still felt a little weird to be running on.

My first two miles were pretty fast by my standards, I slowed down a bit around mile three (halfway through), paired up with a nice woman named Mary who paced me through the 4 1/2 mile mark, then I got a burst of speed and caught up with a guy named Rob, and he and I ran to the finish.
My goals for this race were simple: I wanted to finish. I wanted to come in under 1 hour, 20 minutes. And I didn’t want to finish last.

I’m happy to say I didn’t, which is why I look so happy in the above photo. Fifteen people finished behind me (OK, out of 322, and two people in their 70’s kicked my butt, but still…), as I clocked in at 1:18.22.

My family was there to greet me at the finish line, which was awesome. I actually didn’t feel too sore Sunday, which made me feel good since my training clearly has made me stronger.

But most importantly, thanks to the generosity of readers, friends and family, I raised $725 for the Hope for the Warriors charity, an excellent cause.
My next goal? A much faster 10k in the early spring, and then, hopefully a half-marathon next fall.
Now that I’ve caught this running bug, I gotta keep going.

**I had a strange feeling after watching yet another Jets-Patriots classic Sunday, when my boys came from 10 points down in the second half to take the lead, only to blow that and lose in overtime, 29-26.
I was mad, and disappointed, but also, strangely… encouraged. Maybe it’s because I’ve so dramatically lowered my expectations for this team this year, or because I’m overestimating the Pats, but I thought there were lots to be pleased about with how the Jets played.
So despite being angry at more asinine playcalling (3rd and goal from the 1 in the third quarter, you’ve been running it down their throats, and you don’t use Tebow but call a slant pass?), and at Stephen Hill’s big drop, and Sanchez again failing to secure the ball on the game-changing fumble, I also saw…

–Sanchez play beautifully in the second half. Man, where is that guy most of the time? A couple of those drives in the second half, especially when he zipped the TD in to Dustin Keller, were just fabulous displays of passing. I still want to start over with a fresh QB next year, but man, he’s got some talent.
— Glad to see they finally, finally used Joe McKnight in the running game a little bit. I just hope he’s not too banged up because we need him next week, too.
— The defense really stepped up, tackling well and harassing Brady at times. Again, maybe the Pats aren’t that good (and they sure seemed out of sync in the 2nd half on offense), but the Jets D played a terrific game.

A couple other quick-hit NFL thoughts on another wild Sunday:–Robert Griffin III. Man, if he could cut down on those turnovers, he’d be just about perfect. What an incredible athlete. He’s moving the position of QB forward, he really is.
— Then again, the Redskins did lose. Eli Manning is uncanny; he made an awful throw for a pick, then five minutes later with his team down, he throws a beautiful pass to Victor Cruz on a bomb for a TD.
— The Tampa-New Orleans game was one of the bar’s TV’s where I was at (there are apparently three huge Bucs fans in New York City and all sat next to me) and it was a hell of a game. Drew Brees is pretty damn good. Those hold throwback Bucs creamsicle jerseys, though? Burn ‘em all.
— Finally, there are only three teams in the AFC with winning records. Am I nuts to think the Jets could make the playoffs at 8-8?

**As a karaoke singer and mangler of great songs myself, I have to sometimes acknowledge the “greatness” of other bad singers. So this made me laugh: The great Shaquille O’Neal, singing the Prince classic, “When Doves Cry.”

Say this about Shaq: Man’s not ashamed to make a fool of himself in public.

Sorry there was no usual Monday blog post, but I spent the holiday weekend with my fiance up in New England, visiting some friends of hers.
There’s a reason poets, songwriters and lots of other people have written so much art about fall in New England; it’s really all kinds of beautiful.

We visited a family that had two little kids, so we did all kinds of family stuff, like apple-picking, going through a “mini-Green Monster” hedge maze, and even went candlepin bowling, that bizarre form of the sport they only play up there. (That sport is way too hard; you get no pin action, the ball is tiny and doesn’t spin, and yes I’m making excuses because I sorta stink at it).

I also got to watch a soccer game played by 4 and 5-year-olds; it was like watching swarms of bees all chasing one tiny ball of honey. There were no goalies in this co-ed “game,” the goals themselves were miniature, and nobody really kept score, which was nice.

Concentration isn’t exactly a forte among these future stars; one boy spent most of the game fiddling with his sweatshirt, unable to decide whether to keep it on or off.

It was a terrific relaxing weekend out of the city, even if I had to endure way too many “Gronkowski” and “Brady” jerseys. Massachusetts is one of my favorite states, and in the fall, with the leave starting to turn, it really is something special.

**Ah, the Jets. As someone said on Twitter Monday night, only my beloved Jets can turn what should’ve been a 25-point blowout loss into a heart-wrenching defeat.
Despite playing with a mostly-inept offense, filled with guys most NFL fans have never heard of, the Jets hung in there with the undefeated Texans, losing by only six, and Jets had a shot to win on their last drive.
But man, this team just makes SO many mistakes, probably because it’s not that talented. Mark Sanchez played only OK, throwing so many passes too low that they’re tipped, or too high to be caught. The Jets receivers blew all kinds of plays, the defense missed all kinds of tackles, and once again there was ZERO pass rush.

Plus, they burned two timeouts in the second half because they have no idea what to do with Tim Tebow, getting plays in late and having the wrong personnel. Pathetic how disorganized the Jets coaches are.
They’re 2-3 and while Monday was slightly encouraging, this season has 4-12 written all over it.

** “Homeland” followed up last week’s terrific season premiere with an incredibly tense episode Sunday night (SPOILER ALERT, STOP HERE IF YOU HAVEN’T WATCHED YET).
The last scene, with Saul watching the previously-believed-to-be-forgotten and destroyed tape of Brody talking to the camera before what he thought would be last season’s suicide bomb attempt, was jaw-droppingly good. I have to believe Saul is now going to spill the beans on Brody, tell Carrie she was right all along, and the whole dynamic of the series may change.
A few other thoughts on a great hour of TV:

— I kept yelling at Carrie for being so damn reckless, especially when she ran back into her source’s apartment while her teammates were in a car surrounded by angry men. It’s ridiculous how many chances she takes and gets away with it.

— I know you’ve gotta suspend disbelief sometimes with this show, but both my fiance and I were incredulous that Brody A, would be allowed in a secret meeting to watch Nasir get killed, B, send a text message TO Nasir without anyone noticing or getting suspicious, C, Nasir getting the text milliseconds before he was about to be killed, and D, the snipers totally missing Nasir because he moved a split second before they shot.

That’s an awful lot for we viewers to accept. I also love how the entire U.S. government goes along with Carrie’s hunch and goes for the assassination plan. Carrie, who just had electroshock therapy.

–Loved the scene with Brody and his ex-Marine mates at the bar. How long can he hold them off from the truth?
–Finally, Brody’s daughter and the VP’s son are totally having sex in the White House at some point this season, right?

My expectations for the New York Jets are low this year, and I thought Sunday against Buffalo would be a really tough game.
And yet midway through the third quarter, my boys led 41-7.
Most stunning opening-day Jets win since the Parcells era started, when they kicked the hell out of Seattle, 41-3 back in ’97.
Sunday, everything worked beautifully, except the Tim Tebow Wildcat plays. Mark Sanchez was terrific, throwing with great accuracy and poise. The O-line was impossibly good, keeping Sanchez upright. The wide receivers, including the rookie Stephen Hill who dropped lots of passes in the preseason, consistently got open.
And the defense, except for a bad stretch in the 4th quarter, was excellent, pressuring Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick (who really isn’t any good) and intercepting three passes.
Maybe Sunday will be as good as it gets in 2012 for the Jets. One game doesn’t make a season. Still, it was a whole lotta fun seeing this offense click, seeing new heroes emerge, and all that stuff.
A happy Sunday for me and the other long-suffering members of Gang Green Nation.

Some other NFL thoughts from a wild week 1:
— I think this anecdote sums up all you need to say about Robert Griffin III and the Washington Redskins, who beat the Saints 40-32.
As RGIII sliced and diced New Orleans, I texted my good friend Tony, who’s been a ‘Skins fan his whole life and for the past 15 years has suffered through one awful QB after another:
“So how you liking RGIII?” I wrote.
“I am sexually aroused,” he replied.
Yeah, Washington fans are excited.
— Got totally confused when I saw the Vikings kick a field goal in OT Sunday to beat the Jaguars, only the game kept going. New OT rules say if first team that gets the ball only kicks a FG, the other team gets one chance to score. I love the rule change.

— Speaking of rules, the replacement refs were pretty bad Sunday, missing a ton of calls. Unfortunately, they didn’t screw up so royally that they cost a team a game, which is what it’s going to take to get the NFL and the “real” refs back to work.
— It is so great seeing Peyton Manning back playing football, and playing so well. But geez is it weird to see him in Broncos orange. As weird as it was for me seeing Montana in a Chiefs jersey, and Favre in a Jets/Vikings jersey.

**And now, for a pretty harrowing piece of video I saw on Deadspin.com the other day. A mother duck leads her flock across a busy highway. Let me assure you before you watch: They all make it safely across.
But if I’m those ducks, I’m waddling over to Duck Protective Services and filing an abuse complaint against my momma.

**I do not like Serena Williams, not much at all. I think she is arrogant, and highly disrespectful toward officials and line judges, and oftentimes wholly dismissive of her opponent when that foe defeats Serena.
And so I generally root against her, despite fully acknowledging the fact that she’s one of the five greatest women’s players of all time.
But even I who dislikes her so much had to admire her guts and performance on Sunday in the U.S. Open final. She beat Victoria Azarenka, 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 in dramatic fashion, coming back from 5-3 down in the final set to win the last four games and the match.
She is an incredible competitor, Serena is, and even when it looks like she’s down and out (Sunday she was mostly beating herself, but full marks to the shrieking Azarenka for hanging in there), she’s never quite done. She hit some superb forehands in the game at 5-5 to hold serve, and then closed the match out.
She’s been through a lot these last few years, some of which was her own doing, other parts of it (like the life-threatening embolism she had) were unfortunate luck.

Serena’s one of the greatest female athletes ever, and love her or hate her, she makes tennis more interesting.
Oh, and my pick on today’s Murray-Djokovic final? Should be a classic. Just have a feeling Murray is due to break through. The Scotsman wins it in 4.

A few words this morning on a subject hardly of Earth-shattering importance, but about a ritual we all take for granted.
Nothing to me says summer like a great meal on an outdoor deck/porch at a laid-back beach-side restaurant.

From the moment you walk out there, with music playing, the small waves making noise a few feet away, beer flowing, flip-flops bouncing off the wooden ground … it all just goes together to make the meal that much better.

It’s hard to explain, but when the air is warm and the cold drinks are flowing, and the smell of fresh fish, corn on the cob (a very underrated side dish!) and burgers permeating from each table, everyone just seems less stressed.
I had two dinners this weekend with family, both on outdoor decks, and both times I left the restaurant wishing I could eat like that all-year round.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so special if we did it year-round. But man, I sure do enjoy it.

**It’s almost fall, in a major election year, so political junkies like me have their radar up for anyone saying anything remotely stupid.
But boy, you certainly didn’t need an antenna to believe that what Missouri GOP U.S. Senate candidate Todd Akin said this weekend was just about the most idiotic thing said in 2012.
If you missed it, Akin was talking about why he opposed abortion in all cases, even in rape and incest. And this was his direct quote:

“From what I understand from doctors, that’s really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that down. But let’s assume that maybe that didn’t work or something. I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be on the rapist and not attacking the child.”

Wow. Despite the many, many, many questions I have for Mr. Akin after that quote (first question: how, exactly, does the female body “shut that down” when a man is raping her?), I think we’ll just let it hang there. Listen to him speak it (above), it doesn’t get any better.

Todd Akin, you would hope, is finished as a politician. What a disgusting thing to say.

**I know it’s only preseason. I know I’ve got five months of NFL football ahead of me. But there I was late Saturday night, watching the 1st half of the Jets game, and I was getting angry. Furious, pissed, whatever word I can usually use to describe my mood during autumn Sundays when the green and white are playing.

It doesn’t count, but holy hell did the Jets look awful. Offensive line was horrendous (Why is Wayne Hunter still on this team???). Running game, mostly non-existent. Wide receivers, OK, I know the top three were out injured, but they did nothing.
And the two quarterbacks (which is one too many, of course) both looked awful. Mark Sanchez, it’s year 4, you can’t be making idiotic throws like the one you made Saturday that got run back for a touchdown. And Tim Tebow, well, I can’t really get mad at him for being what he is: A poor NFL quarterback who has no business starting in the league.
It’s been two preseason games, and the Jets have two field goals. Combined.

This is one of those YouTube videos that I really, really hope is real. It totally seems like it is.

A 4-year-old was doing some homework and was having trouble with his “Take-aways.” So, he did what any kid would do: He called 911.
And this phone call ensued (stay with it to the end, the kid’s mother’s reaction is priceless:

**So, yeah, in the middle of the night Sunday/Monday morning we landed on Mars.

No biggie.
These scientific things always sneak up on me. I never really follow developments like this until all of a sudden everyone on Twitter is telling me we’re about to land on Mars.
I think there’s a good argument to be made, as I’ve made before, that funding the space program shouldn’t be our highest priority, that we could take that money and do so much more with it here on Earth. Feeding people, funding programs for homeless people and abused women, etc.

But then I see these incredible photos and I think, “Wow.”

**Finally today, my all-time favorite New York Jet went into the Hall of Fame last weekend in Canton, Ohio. Curtis Martin was an incredibly durable running back for the Jets, helping turn the franchise around in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

He’s also universally hailed as a class act, as evidenced by this fantastic, moving speech he gave upon his induction (hat tip to my friend George for alerting me to it.) The parts about his mother and father had me choked up … amazing what some people can endure and still survive, and thrive.

If you don’t have time to watch the whole speech, just watch the first 10 minutes. I want to hug Curtis Martin and his mom after hearing it.

It’s totally irrational. I’m 36 years old, I have a great life, a loving and beautiful girlfriend, a terrific family, and so many good things around me.

And yet I allow myself to get completely worked up and pissed off because my favorite professional football team continues to do the stupidest things possible.
Seriously, it’s like they TRY to anger every single fan they have.
Let me start to discuss the Jets acquiring of Tim Tebow in a trade by saying this: In three decades of being a fan, I have never been more frustrated and angry at the Jets than I was today.
Wasn’t this mad during the Kotite years. Wasn’t this mad during the ’86 playoff game with Cleveland, or the many, many late-season swoons.

I’m going to try to keep this rant as concise as possible: This is a terrible, terrible, terrible move for the Jets. For so many reasons.

First of all, let’s start with this: TIM TEBOW IS NOT A GOOD NFL QUARTERBACK. Seems to me that if you’re going to acquire a player as controversial as Tebow, you might want him to be kind of good. Tebow has terrible accuracy, a not-very strong arm, and has trouble completing simple passes.
Next, how about this: You just gave Mark Sanchez, your franchise QB, a huge new contract extension, telling him how wonderful he is, how you’re committed to him, yada yada yada.
Now you bring in a guy who, to millions of football fans, is a cult hero, a messiah-like figure. And as soon as Sanchez throws a few interceptions next season, you’re going to hear the drumbeat from the stands of “Te-bow!,” Te-bow!”

It will go on all season, and it will be loud, and it will be an enormous distraction. It’s going to make Sanchez feel awful, but that’s not the worst part. The worst part is Tebow IS NOT AN UPGRADE. So even if they do pull Sanchez, things won’t get better.

Then there are these reasons to hate the deal: You gave away two draft picks for a guy who will only play 8-10 plays per game in the Wildcat, if things are going well; nobody runs the Wildcat effectively in the NFL anymore so even Tebow’s effectiveness there is in doubt; you’re adding a highly polarizing figure to a locker room that already has plenty, and just let me throw this out there, in total seriousness:

There’s a huge contingent of Jets fans who are Jewish. Do you think they’ll feel all warm and fuzzy about a high-profile Jets player who believes that all of us Members of the Tribe are going to hell? (A great tweet today from Parks and Recreation writer Michael Schnur: “Well, if there’s one place a crusading Christian and decidedly mediocre athlete should mesh perfectly with the local culture, it’s New York.”)

Ugh. I just hate this so much. This reeks of the Jets wanting to make headlines, steal some of the Giants’ thunder (here’s a way to steal their thunder: Win a Super Bowl!!!) and get people talking about them.
I don’t know who this franchise is anymore. They’re the pro sports equivalent of a dope fiend hanging out on the corner, doing anything to get their next high. When that one fades, got to get another one. Peyton Manning doesn’t want to play here? We’ll go get God’s quarterback!

It’s the middle of March. I really shouldn’t get this worked up over the Jets.
But I hate them right now, and everything they’ve become.

**OK, moving on to a less-inflammatory topic: Bigamy.
I laughed quite heartily about this story. It seems that a county corrections officer in Washington state has been charged with bigamy after Facebook helped uncover his secret double life.
What happened? According to this story, Alan O’Neill’s first wife recently found out about Wife No. 2 when Facebook detected their connection to O’Neill and suggested the friendship connection.
Well sure, they have a “friend” in common! Wife No. 1 then called O’Neill’s mother (fabulous!), and a short time later the police got involved.

Alan, Alan, Alan. It’s the first rule of plural marriage: Stay the hell off Facebook.

Well, that was just a fine and dandy way for the Jets to finish their season, eh?

As I suffered through most of the game on TV from Southern California (amazingly, it was the local game here yesterday; even when I try to get away from the Jets, they find me), I had very little interest or passion for it, I found. They are so unworthy of making the playoffs, and I knew even a good performance against Miami wouldn’t wipe away the stench of this disappointing season.
But you know, I gotta hand it to the boys, they still managed to tick me off. Mark Sanchez with three more truly brutal interceptions, two by defensive linemen. A sieve-like offensive line allowing the Dolphins to do whatever they wanted.

And a defense that played, once again, just badly enough to lose. More fun continued toward the end of the game, when star receiver/ultimate diva Santonio Holmes yelled at teammates in the huddle and was then benched for the final few minutes. I love Santonio’s production but good Christ he is just such a pain in the ass.

I really don’t have much more to say about this awful team. I expect they’ll fire offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, deservedly so, and I guess you have to give Sanchez one more year before giving up and realizing he’s not the answer at QB (as my smart friend David pointed out, fix the O-line, hire a good coordinator, and then see if Sanchez gets better).
I’ve been spoiled by the boys the last two years, and now this 8-8 season feels so much worse because we really thought the Jets were on the verge of something great.

Maybe it’s because I’m in SoCal, but I seem to have gotten over this loss pretty fast. Maybe I should move out here; the Jets won’t bother me as much.

**A Happy New Year to all of you out there on the Internets. I started mine by doing something completely new: My best friend Clay’s wife Amanda is a certified yoga instructor, and she gave me my first-ever lesson last night. I’ve always been pretty dubious about yoga; I know it helps people, centers you, good for breathing and stretching, all that stuff. But it wasn’t for me, I always thought.
After one session, I’m not a total convert, but I did enjoy it. Stretching muscles in different ways than I normally do was fun and only a little painful. The breathing really did seem to relax me (I almost fell asleep during Savasana at the end). And challenging yourself in ways you’re not used to is always a good way to start the year.

Don’t sign me up for a yoga class yet, but I definitely am starting to see the appeal.

**Finally, a couple words on Ben Affleck. We watched the movie “The Company Men” last night, and he was really good in it. I don’t think he gets enough credit for being a good actor. He’s always been a pretty boy type, but I think he’s really come a long way. Sure, he still makes stupid movies sometimes, but in serious films like “Gone Baby Gone,” “The Town,” and now this one, he really has grown a huge amount in terms of acting ability.
I think he’s way better as a thespian than Matt Damon, his old buddy.

Anyway, check out “The Company Men” if you haven’t seen it. Depressing for most of the film, it lifts you up at the end. Really good performances from Affleck, Chris Cooper and Tommy Lee Jones, too.

Well well, looks like we’ve got a little race in the AFC East again.
Looking nothing like the frauds who lost three straight games in September and October, my beloved New York Jets kicked some serious ass Sunday.
After spending the first half trying really hard to keep the Buffalo Bills in the game, with the boys in green blowing chance after chance, the Jets dominated the second half and won easily, 27-11.
Man that was fun to watch. And thanks to my good friends the New York Giants pulling a stunner up in Foxboro (more on them in a minute) the Jets have an incredible shot next Sunday night, against New England at the Big Snoopy (that’s what I’m calling MetLife Stadium, think it’ll catch on?) to take control of the division race.
Wow. Some quick thoughts after this one:
— The Jets’ D was huge, shutting down a very good offense. Bart Scott and David Harris both made some fantastic plays, and once again Darrelle Revis was fabulous in the secondary.
— Mark Sanchez, you once again make me crazy. You play great on the first drive, get ‘em all the way down inside the 10, then throw a terrible interception. Then you fumble a snap. But in the second half, you were fabulous, making every big throw. He could be SO good, this Sanchez guy, but he’s just not there yet.
— Dustin Keller, please keep your feet on the ground so you don’t kill yourself. Thank you.Other NFL thoughts on a wild day in the league, as usual…– What a huge upset by the Giants, going up to Foxboro and beating the Pats, 24-20, with (stop me if you’ve heard this before) a great last-minute drive by Eli Manning. OK, it wasn’t the Super Bowl, but still, that’s a hell of a victory.
— Green Bay’s offense > any other offense in the last 10 years in the NFL.
— Hey Oakland fans, how’s that Carson Palmer thing working out? It’s a mad, mad world when the Bengals are in first place and their front-office made a smart move.
— How the hell are the Bengals 6-2 and the 49ers 7-1????
— Finally, this is one of the best punt returns you’ll ever see. Arizona’s Patrick Peterson, a 99-yard beauty in OT, as called by a Spanish announcer.

**This is one of the most disturbing stories I’ve ever heard. Jerry Sandusky, a former longtime assistant coach at Penn State under Joe Paterno, has been charged by a grand jury with sexually abusing eight boys over a 15-year period.
What’s almost as awful is that officials at Penn State apparently knew about Sandusky’s behavior and DID NOT report him to legal authorities.
Joe Paterno has had a legendary career as a head coach at Penn State, and scandal has never truly touched him. So far, it doesn’t look like Paterno is charged with any wrongdoing.

But man, these things have a way of mushrooming and enveloping everyone involved. So we’ll see.

**I’m a huge “Goodfellas” fan, as I think all right-thinking people should be. And if you know Scorsese’s classic, you know one of the most famous scenes in movie history is when Henry Hill takes Karen out on a date to the Copacabana club in New York City, and the camera follows them for one incredible shot as Henry walks through the kitchen glad-handing everyone on the way in.

ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption” show just celebrated its 9th anniversary and did a fabulous parody of the scene. Here’s the original scene, and above is the incredible ESPN version. Love it!

We’ve all been mad at something on our televisions before.
And sure, we’ve all been mad at a Palin family member or two.
But only Steve Cowan, of Vermont, Wisc. has combined those two things.
It seems that Steve, a 67-year-old man, became so enraged watching Bristol Palin on “Dancing With the Stars” Monday night that he took out a gun and fired it at his TV because he thought Palin wasn’t a good dancer, his wife alleges.
Then Cowan turned the gun on his wife, but fortunately she escaped and was able to call police, who later arrested Cowan.
Who knew Bristol could have that kind of effect on men not named Levi Johnston?
I don’t watch “Dancing With The Stars,” but all I hear from people who do is how great a dancer Bristol Palin is.
I really shouldn’t be surprised; her mother has been dancing around reporters’ questions for two years now.

**Of course this story infuriates me, and not just because it involves a little Jets fan.
A drunk and angry Cleveland Browns fan tackled an 8-year-old kid wearing a Jets jersey in the parking lot of Browns Stadium Sunday after the Jets beat the Browns in overtime.
Yeah, that’s right he tackled an 8-year-old!Read the gruesome details here.
And we New York fans get the rap for bad behavior all the time.

**Shamelessly stealing from the weekly Sports Illustrated feature of the same name, I give you my latest sign of the Apocalypse: Workers at a company called Aynsley China in Britian have rushed through production a whole series of commemorative mugs and plates honoring the engagement of Prince William and Kate Middleton.Which was announced, two days ago! And the china is already produced and available.Sigh. I’ve never gotten Britain’s obsession with the royal family. Then again, I’m sure Brits don’t get our obsession with the Kardashians, so why don’t we call it even.